Ever since elementary school, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I was first inspired by my ESL teacher, Mrs. Mignault, who I had from kindergarten through second grade. She made learning comfortable and fun. By having her as a teacher for three years, she provided me with a sense of security. It was difficult to learn the English language, but she was patient and never gave up on me.
The person who made me really excited about science was my seventh grade science teacher, Ms. Persia. The energy she brought into the classroom motivated me to match her energy and give her my best. She had so much passion for teaching and for the sciences that I couldn’t help but love science myself. Every lab she assigned was interesting and she would introduce new concepts in a non-traditional way that was engaging.
When I reached high school, I wasn’t so positive about being a teacher anymore. I really loved science but I thought I would get more out of it by being a doctor. All my teachers and friends were encouraging of my pre-med path, but there were two people who seemed to know what my heart really was set on.
One of those people was my high school pre-calculus teacher, Mrs. Capuano. She didn’t believe me when I said I wanted to be a doctor more than a teacher. She had me join her peer-tutoring program and I really enjoyed helping others learn. It felt good to know that I was able to help someone else understand how to solve a math problem or to see someone’s face light up when the concept finally clicked. It was rewarding and satisfying to know I could make a difference. By putting me in that “teacher” situation, Mrs. Cap showed me the potential I had as an educator.
The other person who believed I was destined to be a teacher was my dad. I always thought he wanted me to go into education instead of medicine because he didn’t want to foot the tuition bill for med school, but he just wanted me to do something that would make me happy. He let me find my own path, but when I finally realized how miserable I was with what I was doing, I was able to turn to my dad for a pep talk. He told me my strengths and weaknesses and it wasn’t until then that I realized I was born to be a teacher.
The last person who influenced me to become a teacher is not exactly a person, but the groups of kids that I have worked with for the past seven years at a filmmaking camp. Working as a camp counselor and a camp director allowed me to realize how comfortable I felt working with kids and how I enjoyed being a role model to the younger generation as my teachers had been to me. I was able to mix the hard work with fun, and turn a week of movie making into a memorable experience for the kids.
From this group of influential people, I can take something that I’ve learned from each of them that will make me a better person, and in turn make me a better educator. From Mrs. Mignault, I will learn to be as patient and understanding as she is. From Ms. Persia, I will bring my passion for science and exert as my energy as she did to teaching. From Mrs. Capuano, I will try to be as motivating with my students as she is with me and encourage my students to go beyond expectations. From my dad, I will never forget to do what makes me happy. And from my kids at camp, I will learn to balance work with play in my classroom.
I'm sure these people are very proud of you now... Except maybe the camp kids. :-) - fogleman
Ever since elementary school, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I was first inspired by my ESL teacher, Mrs. Mignault, who I had from kindergarten through second grade. She made learning comfortable and fun. By having her as a teacher for three years, she provided me with a sense of security. It was difficult to learn the English language, but she was patient and never gave up on me.
The person who made me really excited about science was my seventh grade science teacher, Ms. Persia. The energy she brought into the classroom motivated me to match her energy and give her my best. She had so much passion for teaching and for the sciences that I couldn’t help but love science myself. Every lab she assigned was interesting and she would introduce new concepts in a non-traditional way that was engaging.
When I reached high school, I wasn’t so positive about being a teacher anymore. I really loved science but I thought I would get more out of it by being a doctor. All my teachers and friends were encouraging of my pre-med path, but there were two people who seemed to know what my heart really was set on.
One of those people was my high school pre-calculus teacher, Mrs. Capuano. She didn’t believe me when I said I wanted to be a doctor more than a teacher. She had me join her peer-tutoring program and I really enjoyed helping others learn. It felt good to know that I was able to help someone else understand how to solve a math problem or to see someone’s face light up when the concept finally clicked. It was rewarding and satisfying to know I could make a difference. By putting me in that “teacher” situation, Mrs. Cap showed me the potential I had as an educator.
The other person who believed I was destined to be a teacher was my dad. I always thought he wanted me to go into education instead of medicine because he didn’t want to foot the tuition bill for med school, but he just wanted me to do something that would make me happy. He let me find my own path, but when I finally realized how miserable I was with what I was doing, I was able to turn to my dad for a pep talk. He told me my strengths and weaknesses and it wasn’t until then that I realized I was born to be a teacher.
The last person who influenced me to become a teacher is not exactly a person, but the groups of kids that I have worked with for the past seven years at a filmmaking camp. Working as a camp counselor and a camp director allowed me to realize how comfortable I felt working with kids and how I enjoyed being a role model to the younger generation as my teachers had been to me. I was able to mix the hard work with fun, and turn a week of movie making into a memorable experience for the kids.
From this group of influential people, I can take something that I’ve learned from each of them that will make me a better person, and in turn make me a better educator. From Mrs. Mignault, I will learn to be as patient and understanding as she is. From Ms. Persia, I will bring my passion for science and exert as my energy as she did to teaching. From Mrs. Capuano, I will try to be as motivating with my students as she is with me and encourage my students to go beyond expectations. From my dad, I will never forget to do what makes me happy. And from my kids at camp, I will learn to balance work with play in my classroom.
I'm sure these people are very proud of you now... Except maybe the camp kids. :-) -